Gladly gambling
Port Columbus lured AirTran service with $758,000 in incentives, a common practice among airports. Is the risk worth the reward?
Saturday, August 23, 2008 3:10 AM
But AirTran didn’t come free.
Port Columbus has agreed to pay up to $275,000 to help defray the airline’s startup costs in Columbus and half — roughly $100,000 — of their construction costs at the airport. The money comes from Port Columbus’ operating budget, gathered from sources including parking and concessions. Including fee waivers, AirTran stands to receive $758,000 in incentives from Port Columbus.
"We consider this to be a good investment," said David Whitaker, airport business-development chief, who expects the airport to generate about three times that amount in revenue as a result of AirTran’s presence within a year.
Resources for
